Last night my husband and I took our baby to the theater. Not the movies. Live theater. Of course, it wasn't his first time at the theater. He's only four-and-a-half months old and he's already been to see two shows. We took him to see a musical back during the summer, and last night we saw a Neil Simon comedy. Our child is so cultured! He did very well, despite the problems with the sound they were having. He just sat up in my lap and looked around as if he really enjoyed the action on stage. There was another baby there who didn't do so well. And she was older! After the show, I wanted to tell everyone, "My baby wasn't the one crying. He was the one writing a review for the local newspaper."
My older son went to his dad's house last night. They have a routine for every weekend they spend together. They visit their favorite restaurant and get hamburgers, then it's off to Wal-Mart to look around. They like video games and stuff like that. I'm not into gaming. I'm just too uncoordinated. My guys take a few steps, and then they die. Poor Mario never made it past the mushrooms.
I believe today is going to be a lazy day at my house. It's beautiful outside. Warm, but not too warm. I have to go to the store to buy the neccessities of life: milk, bread, and toilet paper. But after that, I'm crashing in front of the TV to watch my team get massacred. I love weekends in the fall!

Project Runway was such a bust last night. I can't believe I skipped the Barbara Walters interview with Terri Irwin to watch it! It was so obvious the judges had planned on booting out Uli. They had to send eveyone through because she won! Laura's dress was very pretty, but very safe. Michael's dress was nice...on paper. It didn't work on that little Jennifer Love Hewitt look-alike. Uli's dress was okay compared to that "German house dress" she originally made. The beading with that print was a nice combination.
When Heidi said that Jeffery's dress belonged on a milk maid I laughed so hard I thought milk was going to come out my nose. And I wasn't even drinking milk. You could tell he and Michael were nervous when they were in the bottom two. They were both sweating like Michael Jackson trying to figure out which Survivor team to be on. I think there will be some sort of surprise challenge that will narrow it down to a final three.
In home news, my baby had a breakthrough today. He has recently started eating rice cereal, and has had some problems with it. For one thing, Mommy just doesn't shovel it in fast enough for his liking. Up to this point he's been on a bottle and can suck down its contents in a matter of seconds.
I've contemplated changing his name to Hoover. Today he had a breakthrough. He realized that if he opens his mouth wide, mommy will shovel in a big spoonful of grub. This he likes.
He also got a new toy. He's been playing on a little mat that has toys hanging over it. He's become very bored with that, so I ordered him this little bouncy thing. It's called an exersaucer. It has little do-dads all over it that squeak and spin. He seems to like it a lot. Maybe he won't get bored with it for a while. I hope at least a week. He and I have been taking daily walks. We walk all over the neighborhood and I show him all kinds of things. Yesterday I introduced him to the joys of mushroom kicking. There was a mushroom on the side of the road that was so big it could have housed at least a dozen Smurfs. I ran up and kicked it, and it exploded with a big POOF! It was so cool. Ahhh, the simple pleasures of life. Mushrooms to kick, spinning toys, and a mouthful of grub. Who could ask for more?

My boys are adorable. My oldest son is six and a half, and he is the light of my life. He is very creative, imaginative, and sooo dramatic! He reminds me of someone...hmmm. We are very close. We have always liked to play tricks on each other. One of our favorite things to do is try to scare the devil out of each other. He likes to sneak up behind me when I'm out on the back porch reading. The other night as he was getting ready for bed I sneaked into his room and hid behind his bed. When he came back into the room to get into his bed, I jumped up and barked at him. I think he jumped about ten feet. Poor kid. He'll probably need therapy before he hits puberty. He'll get me back though. I'm just waiting for it.
My sons have always been my favorite toys. Kids are fun. They are a great excuse to go see all those animated films you wanted to see but were too embarrassed to go by yourself. I love having kids. I get to go trick-or-treating again. I can watch Spongebob without feeling totally lame.
My other son is four and a half months old. He is really beginning to show his personality. He likes to give kisses. His kisses are really more like slobber deposits, but it's still sweet. He coos and giggles and thinks it's very funny that he can make raspberries with his tongue. He has recently discovered his feet, and is constantly studying them. I think he's trying to figure out how to get them in his mouth.
My husband and I still haven't figured out his hair or eye color. He may end up as a redhead like his mommy. Right now though his hair color is best described as "bald." He has a little bit of fuzz. His head is very round, but not quite as round as his big brother's was. His head looked like Charlie Brown's. Or maybe the Great Pumpkin.
I love my boys. They fill my every day with wonder and delight. Their futures are wide open to possibilities. My oldest wants to be an astronaut, or a race car driver, or a police officer, or a fire fighter. My baby hasn't made any future wishes known yet, but it looks as though he may be a food critic. Or maybe a podiatrist. Who knows?

It's funny how different my life is from the way I imagined it to be when I was younger. When I was a teenager and knew everything I decided that I was going to be an actress. My plan was to graduate from highschool and then head straight to NYC to find my big break on Broadway. I was not going to get married, and I was certainly never going to have children. My life was my own, and it was going to stay that way. To me, my hometown was a hopelessly uncultured place that was just unworthy of me and my talent. What an ignorant little brat I was! Luckily, I never headed off to the big city. I went to college instead and began studying music and I discovered how little I knew about anything!
Today I'm married with two beautiful children and a house in the country. And a cat. Sometimes I am still amazed that I have all this. Occasionally I ask myself, "What if?" Do I have any regrets? Do I wish I were a Broadway star instead of a PTF mom? Heck no! I love this life. I love packing lunches. I love going on school field trips. I love it when my husband comes home from work and I greet him at the door. I love getting up in the morning and feeding my baby while watching the Tyra Banks Show. Oh, I still have the acting bug. But I satisfy it through my work with the local theater group. That's much more fun anyway. I can perform for familiar faces. Hometown people. Their applause means more to me than sold out shows in New York. These people know me and appreciate me. I love that I can be a star one night and then go home and be just a normal person.
Well...maybe not normal.
It's still funny though. The other day I found myself separating meats to go in the freezer and I had to stop and smile. Who needs fame and fortune? I have family. I am very blessed. I am rich beyond my wildest dreams.

My dad is a preacher. When I tell people that, most of them say "Oh! You're one of those!" Yes. I am a PK. A preacher's kid. A lot of people are under the assumption that since I am a preacher's daughter I am a hell-raiser. To be honest, I have done plenty of things I am not proud of. However, I don't think I could be put in that category. My sister and I were raised with some strict rules. We were not allowed to listen to rock music. We didn't watch movies that had anything but a G rating. My dad didn't make us wear dresses all the time, but our pants could not be too tight or our shorts too short. (Above the knees was too short.) My dad has always been great though. He's a very straight-laced, right-wing conservative. However, he has great compassion for people. He would be the first to speak out against drinking and gambling, and homosexuality. But he would be the first to reach out to and embrace the people brought down by such things. He's probably the hardest working person I know. A lot of people think a preacher just works on Sunday and spends the rest of his time sitting around eating fried chicken. Not my dad. I've seen him go out at 3:00am because somebody needed to talk to him. He is always on the go. He visits people in the community. He visits people in the hospital. He volunteers at the local mission center. He just got back from a mission trip to Africa. He's been to Russia several times as well. I am proud to be a PK. Sure, my childhood was a little sheltered. Looking back I'm grateful. I see kids who were not raised by a good Christian father, or no father at all. A lot of them are now in serious trouble. I was blessed. So what if I couldn't wear a two-piece bathing suit at the beach? I wouldn't trade that for the life I have now. When I looked for a husband, I looked for someone with the same qualities as my dad. I was blessed to find him. I'm happy to know that my sons have great male role models to look up to in my husband, my dad, and my brother-in-law. If they are anything like them, they will be just fine.

It is the first day of fall and it still feels like mid-summer! It was like 90 something degrees outside today! To further add to the disappointment, my team lost today. They could have won if their kicker was not a total moron. Okay, I know. I couldn't kick that little ball through the uprights, but come on! That's what these guys do! (Breathe!) I'm better now. I'm telling you, I get into my football.
Yesterday I took an online psychic ability test. It told me I definitely had some psychic powers. ( I knew it.) Funny though, I could guess what was behind the cards and yet I never win the football pool...hmmmm. I wish I had known I was going to catch a cold. My head is full of mucous, and I am aching all over. My husband had it first. That's the beauty of marriage; you share everything. Oh well, here's to "in sickness and in health." I'm going to go crash on my couch. Happy Fall Ya'll.

Yesterday afternoon my husband and I attended the University English dept get-together. I prefer to call it the "Nerd Picnic." It is always fun to see nerds outside their natural environment so we packed up our little four-month old nerdling and a Death By Chocolate dessert and headed to the Alumni House. Of course, our baby was the star attraction. He is afterall the cutest baby in the world. I would post pictures, but there are just too many pychos on the Internet.
When I refer to people as nerds, I am not being derogatory. I am myself a nerd, and I enjoy the company of other nerds. Nerds are quite fun to socialize with. We are very witty. However, most non-nerds don't understand our humor. We love puns and wordplay that would make a lot of other people groan. Nerds aren't totally abnormal though. They still put on their suspenders one arm at a time just like everyone else.


*J.J. gives a good mad scientist laugh: Mooha ha ha ha ha!

My husband and I are totally hooked on Project Runway. Actually, he turned me on to it. Weird, huh? FYI, he's totally straight. It's a funny thing to hear the man who drives a big honkin' Chevy truck comment on the fashions. "The design is nice, but the print is just so busy..." He actually has very good taste. Especially in women. (ha ha!)
P.R. is a very entertaining show. There's nothing like a room full of gay guys trying to "beat each other up." The cast this time has been quite interesting. The first to go was scary Malan. My husband does a great impression of him. (with a pseudo-British accent) "Mummy, please don't lock me in the closet again! I won't design anymore! Mummy!!!"
One of my favs this season was Kaine. He reminded me of my good friend Tony. If Tony were a gay pageant dress designer. He got canned last week mainly because he thinks eveyone should dress like Elvis. Laura is another I like. She's a Mom with five, no make that six kids and a mouth like a sailor. My pick to win is Michael. He's friggin' awesome! I would buy everything he designs.
Of course the show has no shortage of *itches and jack asses. Angela would do good to get hired by the Ringling Bros. costume department. Creepy Vincent will probably end up at the funny farm after leaving his job, cashing in his 401k and still getting kicked off...twice.
As for Jeffery, aka Jack Ass, he would be more successful if he stopped designing for the 80's Madonna (think cone-shaped bra) and designed stuff you could actually wear out in public.
This week decides the final three and I just can't wait! Check it out. You'll be hooked!

Yeah! It's Friday! Here in the South TGIF takes on an entirely different meaning. Thank Goodness It's Football! You've seen Friday Night Lights? Well, it's pretty accurate. In the South football is life. Football season is like a holiday that lasts from the end of summer well into the winter. There are parties, we have football "outfits", and even songs (fight songs.) We send each other greeting cards that say things like "Have a Blessed Orange Bowl" or "Tuberville is the Reason for the Season."
Tonight my family is planing to attend a game between to local rival highschools. It should be quite an event. Aside from the action on the field, there's nothing like sitting in the stands with a bag of warm roasted peanuts in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other. Sigh...is it 7:30 yet?

I have been telling myself for some time now that I need to start a blog. So here it is. tick tick tick...
It's funny , for months my head has been full of things to write and now I find myself searching for what to say. I suppose I could begin by telling about myself.
I am weird. Let's just get that out in the open. Not creepy weird like that guy that hangs around outside the BP. I'm...unique. I realize that by saying that I become totally un-unique because everybody says that. But really, I am a square peg. Well, maybe not square, just kind of oblong. My husband and I have declared ourselves nerds. In our eyes being a nerd is a good thing. I hope my children become nerds. Now, there is a big difference between a nerd and a dork/geek. Dorks/geeks are those guys in the chess club. Nerds are the people who sit aroung talking about Arthurian legends and debating whether or not Shakespeare really wrote all that stuff. My husband is a college English instructor (also known as nerd). His friends are all nerds. They all use proper grammer when speaking to each other. ex: "How are you today, Dr. So-and-so?" "I am well!"
My husband and I are not quite that bad, but we are fairly nerdy. Most nights we sit together in the livingroom doing our puzzles. He's hooked on sudoku, and I love anagrams and cryptograms. See? Nerds.
There is another side to me, but I'll get into that later. I don't have a light over my keyboard and my eyes are getting all fuzzy. G'nite all.